Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-05
WHAT PUBLIC MEN DRINK.
An Old Bartender's Experience with Guests
at Big Hotel


New York Tribune.
The stockY man with short-cropred
but bushy gray whiskers, who stood be-
hind the Fifth Avenue hotel bar for fifteen
years, has recently been missed by guests
of that house. His name is Francis Moore.
He is VeTmonter, and has q good stock
farm in that state. Recently he desired to
start in business for himself in Twenty
third street. In his long experience at
! the Fifth Avenue hotel he has dealt out
liquid rations for many of the noted msn
of the country. He told a Tribune .
porter about some of their peculi-
arities yesterday, saying among other
things:
"Billy Florence, the actor, drinks
straight whisky. Lem Smith is another
of the same kind. l always set out the
best when l see them coming. General
Arthur drank gin straight when he felt
the need of little stimulsnt. General
Grant used to come in occasionally in
lis last years and drink bottle of Bass
ale at the bar. General W. T. Sherman
has stuck to one brand of whisky so long
that others have come to ask for It
as Sherman whisky. He drinks 8 good
big drink, but not often. General Phil
Sheridan takes square drink of the same
beverage and has no use for water. He
takes nip oftener than Sherman. Sena-
tor Frank Hiscock likes wine, but takes
three fingers of whisky when he tackles
that liquor. His faVorite wine is VeuVe
CIiquot, yellow label. Congressman
George West has a steady Eng ish pull
at Bass ale. Ex-Congressman Henry 6.
Burleigh's order is always "a little sherry
but it comes quite often. His partner,
'1us' Cooke, takes the whisky for the
firm. Cooke likes to mix hams and beans
between the drinks.
"Though James G. Blaine stopped at
the hotel 1 never saw him at the bar.
General Garfield never came to the bar,
either. Ex-senator Chaffee of Colorado,
drank whisky and Poland water, which
he thought was good for his kidneys.
His friend Dave Moffatt, president of the
Denver and Rio Grande road, drinks
whisky straight. Senator German came
IN rarely for rye. William II. Bsrnum
| takes gin steadily and lots of it. The
| glasses are not big enough for him.
William L. Scott of Erie asks for little
gin fZZ-very light. When President
| Cleveland was guest of the hotel we
| sent up brandy to his rOom-the best in
| the house. When Roscoe Conkling
never saw him take anything stronger.
| President Hayes wouldn't drink lemon
ade for fear it might have been stirred
with spoon that had been in whisky.
| The late Governor Reuben E. Fenton was
light drinker with q liking for light
wine and champagne. Steve Dorsey
used to drink whisky IN the days when he
ran Republican national politics, but
| brandy suits him now. A peculiar
drinker is Uncle John Rice, the prOprie-
tor of the fremont house Chicago, who
has q taste for 'veIvet'-hslf champagne
, and half porter.
"Sheridan Shook likes straight gin and
has drank enough to float steamboat. It
| agrees with him. ED Gilmore is one of
his pupils. Uncle Rufus Hatch takes
about one finger of whisky. Senator
| John Sherman is a light man on liquor.
| He takes a bit of whisky rarely. General
George A. Sheridan of Louisiana sizes up
! slightly above finger when the whisky Is
good. The one thing he will not touch is
Mexican 'pulque.' Bob IngersolPs
favorite is beer. Lawrence Barrett is q
| great drinker of whisky. That is also
Edwin Booths beverage. Guiteau, the
assassin, was around the bar during the
campaign of 1880. He only drank when
he was asked and then filed up on rye.
General Hancock took whisky, but above
| all things he liked q little champagne.
| Hubert o. Thompson was q good tTester
and took whisky. Zach Chandler was g
drinker of drinkers. He began early in
the morning and kept it up till he went
to bed-Whisky always"